Brake apparatus for elevator-cars.



No. 805,818. 'PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905 v. REGINA.

BRAKE APPARATUS FOR ELEVATOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY24. 1905.

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V. REGINA.

BRAKE APPARATUS FOR ELEVATOR CARS APPLICATION FILED JULY 24. 1905.

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VITO REGINA, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed July 24, 1905. Serial No. 270,940.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Vrro REGINA, a citizen of Italy, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake Apparatus for Elevator-Cars, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to brake apparatus for elevator cars or carriages; and the object thereof is to provide an improved air-brake apparatus of thisclass which may be applied to elevator cars or carriages of any kind or class and which is particularly adapted for use in connection with elevator cars or carriages of mines, a further object being to provide an air-brake apparatus for elevator cars or carriages which is designed to be automatically operated in case of accident, but which may also be operated by hand when desired; and with these and other objects in view my invention consists in an air-brake apparatus for elevator cars or carriages constructed and operating as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of whichthe accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a side view of my improved airbrake apparatus and showing the method of applying the same to an elevator car or car-' riage, the car or carriage being indicated in;

connected therewith and on a scale smaller than Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a side or front view of that part of the apparatuswhich is on top of the car or carriage looking in the direction of the arrow 00 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a partial section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2 and on a larger scale than Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 a sectional view of a valve which I employ.

My improved air-brake apparatus comprises two parts, one of which is located on the top of the elevator car or carriage and the other suspended beneath the bottom thereof, and the separate parts of the apparatus are connected as hereinafter described, and in the drawings forming part of this specification the car or carriage is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 by the reference character a, while the bottom thereof is indicated in full lines in Fig. 2.

That part of my improved air-brake apparatus which is located on top of the car or carriage comprises an equilibrated valve-casing Z) and a governor 0, while that part of the brake apparatus which is located beneath the bottom of the car or carriage comprises an air-tank cl, a brake-cylinder e, and brake devices connected with said cylinder, and the tank (Z and valve-casing b are placed in communication by means of a pipe f, while the brake-cylinder e and valve-casing Z) are placed in communication by means of a pipe g, and the details of the construction by which my improved brake apparatus ismade operative are as follows:

The valve-casing b is provided with an upper transverse partition 6 and with a lower transverse partition 6 whereby said valve-casing is divided into an upper compartment 6, an intermediate compartment 5 and a bottom compartment t, and the partitions 6 and b are each provided with a central port or passage b and the port or passage 6 in the bottom partition 6 is larger than the port or passage 6 in the top partition 6 Passing vertically through the valve-casing b is a valve-rod h, which is provided below the partition 72 with a valve b and below the partition 6 is a similar valve k while a spiral spring it, placed below the valve b serves to normally force the valve-rod h upwardly and causes the valves 7L2 and it to close the ports or passages 6 At one side of or in front of the valve-casing 6 is a frame or support '5, which is provided with an arm to which is pivoted a lever 2' which is connected with the upper end of the valve-rod 7L, and mounted vertically in the frame or support 71 is a shaft 11*, provided with a gear-wheel c'", and connected with the upper end of said shaft in the usual manner is an ordinary governor d Mounted on the shaft c" below the governor i is the usual vertically-movable collar i with which one end of the lever i is connected, and in practice the collar i is raised or lowered by the governor 2' and the lever Q1 is thus operated, and said lever 71 operates the valve-rod h to open the ports or passage 6 Mounted in one side of the frame or support i, at right angles to the shaft i is a shaft j, provided at one end with a beveled gearwheel f which meshes with the beveled gearwheel i and at its opposite end with another beveled gear-wheel f which meshes with the corresponding beveled gear-wheel y'flmounted on the shaft j, and the shaft f is provided with a large gear-wheel j, which operates in connection with a vertically-arranged rackbar f supported at one side of the well or shaft in which the elevator car or carriage is placed.

It will be observed that the pipe j, which is connected with the air-tank cZ, communicates with the bottom chamber 6 in the valve-casing 6, and the top and bottom chambers b and b in said valve-casing are placed in communication by means of a pipe 6. The pipe g communicates with the central chamber 6 in the valve-casing b and with the central part of the brake-cylinder e, and said brake-cylinder is provided with two pistons 6 having rods 0 which pass outwardly through the opposite ends of said brake-cylinder and are provided with brake-shoes 0 and said brakecylinder is provided at its opposite ends with tubular extensions 6 in which are mounted spiral spring 6", which normally force the pistons e inwardly, and the brake-shoes e are adapted to bear on vertically-arranged brakebeams or guide-beams 6 mounted at the opposite sides of the well or shaft in which the elevator car or carriage is placed.

The pipe 7 is provided with a three-way Valve-casing f and connected therewith is a pipe f which is also connected with the pipe g, and placed in the valve-casing f is a valve f adapted to be operated by a crank-lever f, and the pipe g is also provided beneath the elevator car or carriage with an air-exhaust valve 9 while the pipe f is provided above the valve-casingf" or at any preferred point with a pressure-gage k, between which and said pipe is an exhaust-valve which is shown in section in Fig. 6 and which is also designed to let the air out of the pressuregage when the pressure in the tank (Z has been determined.

In practice the tank d is filled with air under the desired pressure, and this may be done in any desired way and by any preferred means, and in the operation of the apparatus the three-way valve f is normally open, and if at any time the speed of the descent of the elevator car or carriage is increased beyond the normal, as in the case of an accident or the breakage of the supporting-cables or other devices the regulator or governor i will at once. operate to pull up the end of the lever '5 connected therewith, and depress the valverod it, and at this time the air rushes from the chambers b and 6 into the central chamber 6 in said-valve-casing, and thence through the pipe g into the brake-cylinder e, and the pistons e are operated to apply the brake-shoes e, and in this way the car or carriage is brought to a stop. This operation of coursewill depend on the pressure of air in the tank (Z, and this pressure may, as will be understood, be regulated toany desired extent.

I prefer to connect the brake-shoes e di rectly with the pistons 0 as shown in Fig. 4, and also by means of link-bars a but this connection may be made in any desired manner, and said brake-shoes and the brake beams or guides 6 may be of any desired shape in crosssection. It will also be understood that the valve f 4 may be manipulated so as to put the pipes f and g in communication or so as to cut off said communication, and when the apparatus is in operation the pipes f and g are not in commnnication, and it will therefore be seen that by means of the three-way valve f my improved brake apparatus may be operated by hand, the crank-lever f being designed for this purpose, and this operation may be performed by the party in charge of the elevator car or carriage or by any one traveling thereon.

It will be understood that the rack-bar y" may be an independent device, or one of the brake beams or guides 6 may be formed into or provided with a rack-bar.

The object of making one of the ports or passages b in the valve-casing 6 larger than the other, the lower port or passage being so formed, is to provide means whereby the proper action of the valves is secured, and in order to secure a more perfect and even operation of the governor i there must not be a perfect equilibrium between the pressures operating on the different valves k and it and the increase of pressure is exerted on the lower valve 71/ and it will be understood that the power of the apparatus will depend upon the pressure in the tank d and the dimensions of the piston e of the cylinder 6, and said pressure and dimensions may be regulated to any desired extent.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a valve-casing provided with two transverse partitions having ports or passages and di viding the valve-casing into top, bottom and intermediate compartments, the top and bottom compartments being also placed in communication, and a springsupported valve-rod passing verticallythrough said casing and provided with valves adapted to close said ports or passages, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a valve-casing provided with two transverse partitions having ports or passages and di-' viding the valve-casing into top, bottom and intermediate compartments, the top and bottom compartments being also placed in communication, and a spring-supported valve-rod passing vertically through said casing and provided with valves adapted to close said ports or passages, said port or passage in the bottom partition being larger than that in the top partition, substantially as shown and described.

3. An air-brake apparatus for elevator-cars, comprising a valve-casing placed on the top of the car and divided into top, bottom and intermediate compartments by partitions arranged therein, said partitions being provided with ports or passages, means for placing the top and bottom compartments in communication, a spring-supported valve-rod mounted vertically in said valve-casing and provided with valves adapted to close said ports or passages, a governor connected with said valve-rod and adapted to operate the same to open said ports or passages, a brake-cylinder placed beneath the car, a main pipe communicating with the central compartment in the Valve-casing and with the central portion of the brake-cylinder, two pistons mounted in the brake-cylinder and provided with rods which pass through the opposite ends thereof, brake-shoes connected with said rods, a supplemental pipe connected with the bottom compartment in the valve-casing and with a tank beneath the car, and a pipe connecting the main pipe and the supplemental pipe and provided with a three-way valve which controls its connection with the latter, the pistons in the brake-cylinder being also provided with springs which normally force them inwardly, substantially as shown and described.

4. In an air-brake apparatus for elevatorcars, a brake-cylinder supported beneath the car and provided with two pistons having rods which pass through the opposite ends thereof and are provided with brake-shoes, springs for forcing said pistons inwardly, an air-pipe communicating with the centralportion of .said cylinder and means whereby an increase in the speed in the descent of the car beyond normal will automatically operate said pistons and force said brake-shoes outwardly, substantially as shown and described.

5. In an air-brake apparatus for elevatorcars, a brake-cylinder supported beneath the car and provided with two pistons having rods which pass outwardly through the opposite ends thereof and are provided with brakeshoes, springs for forcing said pistons inwardly, a valve-casing mounted on the car and divided into top, bottom and intermediate compartments, a main pipe communicating with the intermediate compartment and with the central portion of the brake-cylinder, a supplemental pipe communicating with the bottom compartment and with an airtank beneath the car, means for placing said main and supplemental pipes in communication, a pipe forming a communication between the top and bottom compartments and the valve-casing, a spring-supported valve-rod mounted vertically in the valve-casing and provided with valves adapted to close communications between said compartments, a governor in operative connection with the valve-rod and means whereby an increase of speed in the descent of the car beyond normal will operate said governor, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 22d day of July, 1905.

VITO REGINA.

Witnesses:

G. N. FERULTI, C. E. MULREANY. 

